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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · game · fork · track · staff · saw · mark · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. track — to keep track
  4. land — ground
  5. mark — a trace
  6. staff — a stick
  7. track — a path
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. track — a song
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — wild animals
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — to come down
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com